&#34;EXTENDITZ&#34; referred herein as &#34;removably-attached clothing accessory&#34;, aka &#34; ... garment accessory&#34;. aka &#34;accessory&#34;

ABSTRACT

A removably-attached clothing accessory that can alter or modify the length and/or style and/or appearance of a garment. The accessory may be constructed of varying dimensions, and/or shapes, and of varying and/or combined materials designed to accommodate its application to pants, skirts, shorts, shirts, jackets, coats, brassieres/lingerie, or bathing suits. A variety of materials may be employed according to style preference and/or function desired. Accessory may be attached to any garment opening / hem or part thereof (for example: end openings of pant-legs, shorts, skirts, shirts, jackets/coats, and on the hem of brassieres and bathing suit tops). The removable accessory is attached to garment by means of a clip-on, clamp-on, or clasp-on mechanism, or series thereof, located on the accessory&#39;s base. This attachment mechanism may be a permanent part of the accessory&#39;s base, or may be removably-attachable, especially as in the case of a “reversible” version of the accessory.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Provisional Application Serial#61/216,819 filed on May 21, 2009 entitled: “EXTENDITZ” referred hereinas “removably-attached clothing accessory”, aka “ . . . garmentaccessory”, aka “accessory”.

GENERAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to garments. Specifically, thepresent invention provides a removably-attached “accessory” to clothingfor affecting preferred fit/length, and/or decoration, and/or style,and/or longevity of garment-wear, and/or diversity of garmentappearance, by means of an attachment mechanism(s) located on the“accessory” and fastening onto garment.

BACKGROUND AND CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE INVENTION

1. Description of Prior Arts' References

-   -   1. U.S. Patent Application 2006/0277660 discloses decorative        exchangeable cuffs for blue jeans. The detachable connecting        elements include buttons, snap or hook and loop material on the        pants and cuffs.    -   2. U.S. Design Pat. Des. No. 555,879 illustrates an ornamental        design for pant legs with changeable cuffs.    -   3. U.S. Utility patent Ser. No. 5,539,932 discloses an        adjustable length garment for adjusting the length of a pant        leg.    -   4. U.S. Utility patent Ser. No. 3,722,001 discloses a variable        length trouser construction.    -   5. U.S. Utility patent Ser. No. 4,896,379 discloses a drop down        cuff arrangement for pant legs which provides for lowering a        child's pants legs.    -   6. U.S. Design Pat. Des. No. 423,191 illustrates an ornamental        design for frayable pants legs.    -   7. U.S. Patent Application 2004/0142630 discloses an attachable        decorative cover and method of manufacture for removable,        interchangeable add-on decorative items by means of hook and        eye, snaps, Velcro, zippers, buttons, Ziploc, buttons and tape.    -   8. U.S. Utility patent Ser. No. 5,088,128 U.S. Patent discloses        a drop down cuff arrangement for pant legs.    -   9. U.S. Utility patent Ser. No. 4,149,275 discloses a set of        fasteners for adjusting the length of a trouser garment.    -   10. U.S. Utility patent Ser. No. 2,677,829 discloses a        detachable cuff for trousers.

The present invention is a clothing accessory that would not only changethe appearance of various clothing items, but may also be practical asit can be used to adjust the length to said clothing items (for example:pant legs, skirts, shorts, brassieres, shirt waist, collar, or sleeves,etc.) for a preferred fit, style, and/or to enhance the garment's life.With regards to the preferred fit/length of pants, this invention solvesproblems such as coordinating pant length with shoe height. It is alsouseful for those individuals who have difficulty finding clothing, suchas pants, that fit with the exception of length, such as those that aretall or long in stature; or for an adjustment needed in the garment forpreferred fit/length either in torso, leg, or arm Furthermore, thisinvention could be of use to parents of children who may be experiencinggrowth spurts as it could increase the life of various garments.

With the application of this invention, one may change the appearance ofcasual or plain apparel into a stylish one, which is cost-effective whendesiring diversity in one's wardrobe.

Known within the art are articles of items employed to modify and/oralter a pant leg, sleeve, or costume's brassiere, are referenced abovein the list of patents and applications. To achieve said modification,each above-designated item calls for alteration and/or modification ofthe garment itself due to its fastening styles and mechanisms, whichinclude snaps, Velcro, zippers, buttons, Ziploc, buttons and tape, hookand eye, or hook and loop type fasteners, etc.

This invention however can be quickly attached to, or removed from, agarment. It solves the problem of easily changing the fit or style of agarment with its ease of securement, as the attachment mechanism(s) areon the accessory and is attached without puncturing, modifying, orpermanently altering its garment counterpart. It also solves the problemof maintaining or protecting the garment's original “look”, whileincreasing the garment's diversity of use. For example, in the case ofwearing jeans with tennis shoes, with the addition of the accessory, thejeans' appearance changes from “casual” to “dressy” and can be worn witha high-heeled shoe. The accessory then is simply removed when finishedwearing, and the garment again has its original “look”.

Variations of this invention may be made for use on various areas ofclothing including pant-legs, shorts, skirts, coats, shirt sleeves,collar and waistline, swimwear, etc. One embodiment of the invention maybe used to accentuate a brassiere or swimwear top for modesty, or toenliven its appearance, by extending the accessory from the topdownwards to the waist.

Further variations may include “standard” accessory sizes, and designedspecifically for clothing for women, men, and children. A wide array offringe or decoration can enliven the accessory including various colorsof string, beads, gems, charms, and/or fabric or other material. Thisaccessory may include materials that convey holiday themes,philosophical designs, and other themes.

An additional benefit goes towards having the ability to add delicateadornments or decorations onto a garment and, being removably-attachedby means of the accessory, they are not destroyed or damaged whenwashing said garment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Thus, it is a primary object of this invention to provide an easy andconvenient means to modify and/or adjust and/or affect and/or decoratethe appearance and/or fit of a garment without permanently altering saidgarment, and with the utilization of one or more strategically-placedclasp(s) or clamp(s) or clip(s) fitted onto said invention, and beingeither permanently or removably-attached onto the accessory itself, andthen easily secured to, and removed from, the garment.

DESCRIPTION OF EACH FIGURE OF THE DRAWING, FIGS. 1 THROUGH 5:

FIG. 1—front view and portion of back view of preferred embodiment ofaccessory, according to one embodiment of the invention, andillustrating a means of attachment by a series of clamp-on mechanismsand incorporating an example of a possible “standard-sized”“flare-pant”-accessory.

FIG. 2—front view “flare-pants” showing removably-attached accessory, asdepicted in FIG. 1, applied onto one of two pant legs.

FIG. 3—two-sided view of removably-attached accessory illustrating areversible embodiment of the accessory utilizing removable clamp-onmechanisms.

FIG. 4—front view of a version of accessory's shape and size for otherpossible embodiments of the invention such as use on a Capri-style pant.

FIG. 5—front view of a version of accessory, as depicted in FIG. 4,combined and applied to a bathing suit top.

Note: FIGS. 2, 4 and 5 are for illustrative purposes and form no part ofthe claimed accessory and are only to illustrate varying embodiments ofthe accessory and/or its application thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

One preferred embodiment as shown in FIG. 1 of the present inventionwould consist of a strip of a material, such as an elasticized fabric,that would form a base (1). Varying materials, such as a variety offabric, and/or decorative items such as lace, fringe, beads, fur,trinkets, symbols, event or holiday-themed items, etc., can be added toexternal side of accessory (2), according to desired function and/orappearance preference. Clamp-on or clasp-on mechanisms are strategicallysewn in place on the inner side of accessory's base (3) to provide aselectable fastening onto the garment. This is achieved by starting fromone end of the accessory and fastening each clamp onto the pant-leg hemand working around to the ending point, which is then fitted behind thestarting point and snugly fitting accessory together onto hemline,creating a decorative border extension of the pant-leg. In thisembodiment, a suspender-type clasp is used. Other types of clasps orclamps or clips may alternately be employed.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing the removably-attachable accessory (1),as depicted in FIG. 1, applied onto one “flare-pant” leg. Theaccessory's topmost part covers the hemline while the fasteners clampdirectly onto the circumference of the hem (2).

FIG. 3 is a “reversible” embodiment of the accessory wherein thefastening mechanisms are removably-attached to the accessory, forplacement on either side of the accessory, and thereby having morevariety of use. In this instance, a base is formed and both sides of theaccessory are decorated with materials (1) & (2), and include a strip(3) as a part of the decorative quality, on which the clamp-onmechanisms can be strategically placed (4), and then fastened ontogarment. When the reverse side of the accessory is used, which may havea different color or style theme, the clamp-on mechanisms are simplyremoved from one side and then placed on the other side of theaccessory's fastening strip and then fastened onto garment.

Various standard sizes can be manufactured to accommodate theaccessories' application upon various areas of clothing worn by women,men, and children. For example, accessories designed for pants can havestandard circumferences to create size-versions such as for“straight-leg”, “boot cut”, or “flare”-styles. An embodiment of this isillustrated in FIG. 1 showing an example of a “standard” “flare-pant”pant accessory for adults measuring 25 in width (4), and, then dependingupon the materials used, could measure ⅛″ to 2″ in depth (5), and 12″ to4″ in height (6). Alternately, a “standard” “Capri-pant” accessory canbe made, as depicted in FIG. 4, and could measure 20″ in width, ⅛″ to 2″in depth, and then ½ and up to 20″ in height to cover from the kneedownwards. These “standard” sizes include a circumference-lengthconsideration accounting for possible, slight differences in thecircumferences of associated “standard” pant-leg styles. Standardizedsizes can be created for accessories as applicable to skirts, pants, orany type of garment, for ease of application and fit-onto said garments.

FIG. 4 illustrates a version of accessory shape and size for otherpossible embodiments of the invention, such as use on Capri-style pants(3). The length is longer than the accessory in FIG. 1, and employs asheer fabric (1) with star-shaped beads sewn onto the topexternal-portion (2) which, when attached to the garment, creates anentirely different style and affect.

Furthermore, these accessories can be diversely used. One accessory, orset thereof, can be applied to many different garments to createdifferent styles and variety for all your clothing. For example, theseaccessories used in FIG. 4 can be combined and used on a differentgarment, such as a short skirt, shirt waistline, or onto a brassiere orbathing suit top, as illustrated in FIG. 5, wherein both accessoriesused for the Capri-pant legs in FIG. 4 are fitted onto a brassiere orbathing suit top (1), offering additional coverage in a stylish manner,or creating a new sexy top. Alternately, combining two accessoriesshorter in height, such as those shown in FIG. 1, can also be addedaround a brassiere, bathing suit top, or even shirt collar or sleeves tocreate a decorative border. In addition, coordinated accessories cansimultaneously be added to both one's shirt and pant-legs to create acomplete new “outfit”. There are numerous uses of the accessories and weenvision manufacturing a complete line for use with all types ofgarments.

We the inventors, citizens of the United States of America believeourselves to be the original and first inventor of this idea and form ofa removably-attachable garment accessory, or improvement thereof andwith diverse applications to any garment, and for which we solicit apatent; we make the following claims:

1. A garment accessory comprising of a base and being removably-attachedto garment by employing one or more clasp, clamp, or clip-onmechanism(s).
 2. Accessory's attachment mechanism(s) according to claim1, are permanently or removably attached onto accessory.
 3. Accessory'sbase according to claim 1, may be accentuated with decorative materials.4. Accessory according to claim 1, may be constructed in various sizes,shapes, designs, and/or with various materials to suit associatedgarment's point of application's size.
 5. Garments according to claim 4,may include pants, skirts, shorts, blouses/tops/shirts, brassieres,bathing suits, jackets, and/or coats.
 6. Accessories according to claim1, and with consideration of claim 4, may be interchangeable fromgarment to garment.